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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28321512">A very special gift</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunaztorta/pseuds/Lunaztorta'>Lunaztorta</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Christmas Collection 2020 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bruise shipping, Bullying, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Cole Is A Cinnamon Roll, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Jay has anxiety, Love Confessions, M/M, Ninjago High School, One Shot, ninjago movie, prompt, request, scarf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:00:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,717</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28321512</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunaztorta/pseuds/Lunaztorta</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>@rhino_is on Instagram<br/>Prompt: How Jay got his orange scarf</p><p>I really deeply loved writing this one. Even if Bruise is my favourite ship, I don't write much about them. This prompt had been very welcome &lt;3</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cole &amp; Jay Walker (Ninjago)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Christmas Collection 2020 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050116</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A very special gift</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The teenagers hit the locker hard, sneering as a loud wail came out of it.<br/>
“What, are you afraid of small spaces junk yard boy?”<br/>
The little crowd scoffed as a girl kicked the metallic door again and again.<br/>
The ear splitting noise made Jay flinch and if possible cry even more. He was trying to curl up in that tiny space, yet it was impossible even for his scrawny figure. All he could do was to keep his eyes shut holding his hands on his ears, in a futile attempt to block out the mocking insults and laughter of his bullies, struggling to ignore the deafening thumps. But it was impossible.<br/>
His heart was painfully hammering into his chest, he was sweating cold, his breath was short and laboured. He felt like he was about to die.<br/>
Anxiety and panic were messing with his thoughts and body, locking him in that sickening moment. He needed to get out of there. But it was impossible.<br/>
The cruel knocks. Just. Didn't. Stop.<br/>
Jay shot his eyes open and wheezed when he felt his suffocating cage shaking, one hand grasping his tightening throat while the other clenched his old hoodie to rip it off. He desperately needed to breathe.<br/>
He needed to get out of there!<br/>
“Hey! What are you doing here?”<br/>
The thumps stopped at once even if Jay could still hear them ringing into his head.<br/>
The bullies fled right away and the hallways of Ninjago High were suddenly silent.<br/>
Jay didn't dare to move, not that he really could. He was too scared, too messed up to even properly think. Soft yet quick steps reached for his locker and the poor boy gasped, cold to the bone at the perspective of what more could happen.<br/>
The door opened and the boy squinted his eyes to the sudden light. His whole body violently shook with harsh sobs and it simply gave up. In a matter of seconds Jay was on the floor coughing and crying. He felt someone immediately crouch beside him and frightened he shot his head up.<br/>
Jay met worried dark brown eyes staring right back at him.<br/>
The short boy yelped and scrambled up in less than an instant, fleeing like his own life depended on it.</p><p>&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;</p><p>Jay was so ashamed.</p><p>He sat at his usual spot out of sight at the back of the cafeteria with his head on the table, groaning. He could barely remember the guy who helped him that day he had been pushed into his locker. He had been too panicked to thank him properly and he was regretting it so deeply. Since then he tried to find the guy, but it hadn't been easy. The school was big and what made it difficult was that all Jay could recall about him was his dark skin, those deep eyes and for some reason that orange scarf he was wearing.</p><p>His eyes looked over the entrance of the cafeteria. If he wanted to find him, his best shot was to hang out in the place where inevitably every student would go at some point. Till now he hadn't been that lucky. Jay's breath picked up and he started to fumble with his fingers under the table.<br/>
What if he actually found him and the guy was mad at him for escaping like that?<br/>
What if he would lock him into the locker to teach him a lesson?<br/>
What if –<br/>
Jay's train of thoughts suddenly came to a halt when he spotted his saviour. It was him for sure. He could tell by the scarf.<br/>
Jay gulped, crippling anxiety building inside of him again. He could feel his hands sweating and he hurried to dry them off on his worn out jeans.<br/>
He had to do it.<br/>
A quick thank you, nothing more. Simple as that. Then he could go back to pretending that he didn't exist, just like any other day in that school. He could do it. He definitely could. Stand up, thank him and go away. Easy, right...?<br/>
After taking a chocolate muffin and a soft drink, the tall guy looked around to find a quiet place to sit down. Jay tensed when their eyes met across the room and the other clearly recognized him.<br/>
The boy made his way to Jay's table, much to the small boy's dread. He straightened his back to sit up but his head remained well tucked between his shoulders.<br/>
“Can I sit down here with you?”<br/>
Jay looked left and right, as if the question wasn't for him. He then dared to look up, worrying his lip. “Uh, y-you really shouldn't...” he eventually murmured fiddling around the fabric of his jeans.<br/>
The taller boy arched an eyebrow. “Why not?”<br/>
“B-because...” Jay stuttered, again glancing around the cafeteria. Some of his bullies were looking in their direction and he flinched, hurrying to look down at the table. “Y-you truly don't want to sit at the same table with the junk yard boy...”<br/>
The other didn't even bother to look around, taking a seat instead.<br/>
Jay held his breath. Oh lord, what now? What was he supposed to do? How could he imagine that turn of events? He wasn't prepared! He had to say something. Too bad though, it was already late. He already managed to make it awkward, didn't he? Stupid, stupid, stu-<br/>
“Name's Cole.”<br/>
Jay snapped out of his thoughts, staring at the guy with eyes wide and parted lips. The freckled boy really wasn't sure how or why Cole felt so calming and reassuring.<br/>
“Jay,” he uttered without even noticing. “I'm Jay.”</p><p>&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;</p><p>“Why orange?”<br/>
Cole looked down at his neck.<br/>
“It's my favourite colour,” he answered, softly stroking his scarf. His expression dimmed. “It was a gift from my mother.”</p><p>&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;</p><p>“I-I ca-can't do it, I – This is too much. I can't do it!”</p><p>Cole crouched in front of Jay, taking his hands into his ones.<br/>
“Why do you think so?”<br/>
Jay bitterly laughed.<br/>
“Seriously Cole, did you ever hear about a ninja with panic attacks? Or a ninja with anxiety? What if I chicken out and cower in fear as soon as I reach the battlefield? What if my body paralyses in the middle of the flight and I crash into a building? What if I let all of you down because I'm too weak and can't handle the pressure? What if –”<br/>
Cole cupped Jay's cheeks, tilting his head up to get a better look into his eyes. “You aren't your anxiety Jay. You're strong and brave. You're quick-witted and brilliant and the most altruistic person I know.”<br/>
Jay felt Cole's thumb gently rubbing away his tears.</p><p>&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;</p><p>Jay couldn't tell when it happened.<br/>
At some point he just realized he fell in love with Cole.</p><p>&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;</p><p>Jay was yet again fumbling with his fingers, looking down at his feet. He could make it. Christmas break wasn't that long after all. Yet the thought of not seeing Cole for that long...<br/>
Cole chuckled. “It's only gonna be a week,” he reassured, reading his mind. They were walking down the stairs right outside school.<br/>
Jay buried his hands deep into his pockets, huffing. “I know boulder head,” he countered rolling his eyes. “It's not like I'm not gonna survive.”<br/>
Cole grinned and Jay stopped dead in his tracks. He thought he could handle it, loving him from the distance. To accept the fact they'll never be nothing more than friends. Better that rather not having him at all.<br/>
Cole whipped around, wondering about why Jay stopped. “You okay?”<br/>
After all... who could ever fall in love with someone like him...? With the scrawny junk yard boy with anxiety and panic attacks? Why should he ever confess to him about his feelings?<br/>
“I'm gonna miss you so much,” Jay blurted out before he could even think. As soon as the boy registered what his own voice said, he paled at once. He started to fidget, eyes darting everywhere but in Cole's direction. “Uh, I-I gotta g-go,” he stuttered, already feeling tears gathering in his eyes.<br/>
Damn! Why had he always have to ruin everything? “S-Soo, s-see you around.”<br/>
Cole was taken aback from Jay's sudden change, though not enough to permit Jay to disappear.<br/>
The taller boy immediately reached out for him, a gentle and warm hand grabbing at his arm. “I'm gonna miss you too.”<br/>
Jay froze, out of breath. Very slowly, he turned around. He didn't have to take those words seriously. Huge mistake if he did. Friends absolutely could say such things to each other.<br/>
If so, why was Cole blushing though...?<br/>
When sure Jay wouldn't dart away, Cole let go of him to take off his orange scarf. The smaller boy couldn't believe it when Cole put it around his neck, too surprised to react. It was so warm and smelled so intensely like his friend. Jay took the scarf and pressed it above his nose, taking a deep breath. It felt like having Cole near, Jay could feel all his bad thoughts fade away.<br/>
“Merry Christmas Jay.”<br/>
Reason kicked in.<br/>
“I can't accept it,” Jay whispered out of breath.<br/>
Cole's cheeks turned darker.<br/>
“You can. I... I'd trust that scarf only to you.”<br/>
“Why?”<br/>
Cole bit his lip, smiling nervously. He placed his hands above Jay's ones, which were still holding the scarf. “Because I like you. I really like you... a lot.”<br/>
Jay stared at him in disbelief. For maybe the first time in his life, he was at loss of words.<br/>
“Would you... date me?”<br/>
“Yes,” Jay automatically answered without a second thought.<br/>
Cole's face instantly brightened up and Jay could feel his cheeks burn. The black haired boy took a step to kill the distance between them. Neither of them ever broke eye contact.<br/>
“Can I kiss you?” Cole softly asked.<br/>
Jay almost burst out into tears. Cole – his boyfriend, he exactly knew not to take him by surprise not to trigger his anxiety. His amazing, caring boyfriend just knew how he needed time to adjust to new situations, how he needed time to plan and decide.<br/>
Jay vehemently nodded, a silly smile on his lips. “Y-Yes.”<br/>
Cole smiled and pushed Jay's scarf down a little to uncover his hidden lips, leaning then down to kiss him.</p>
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